


Sync Up

by Vulpixi_Misa



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), ポケモンマスターズ | Pokemon Masters
Genre: Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23225983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vulpixi_Misa/pseuds/Vulpixi_Misa
Summary: Pokemon Masters but with the anime characters and hints of Comashipping/Staticshipping
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Shinji | Paul
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Sync Up

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is unbeta'd and pretty rough but I kinda wanted it published before I regret ever writing it. 
> 
> These will be a series of drabbles that will update whenever I feel like it. I want to at least have a day with each character but it's mostly going to revolve around getting Ash and Paul together/closer.

You arrive on Pasio with your partner Pikachu after getting an invitation. You’re not a bad trainer, with several badges under your name but you have actually yet to win any official big leagues. Still, you’re excited to meet and battle the trainers here on this man made island. 

When you arrive, the island is swarming with trainers and Pokémon alike. Of course, since it’s a man made resort-like facility all Pokémon were accompanying their trainers and not free to catch. You’re curious as to how each trainer chose their designated one partner. Did they stick to their favorites? Their long time partner? The one that needed more experience or the one that did best in battles? You get more excited with the thought. 

You meet with Professor Bellis who explains the basics of the Pokémon Masters League and how the battle system here works. You’re a bit disheartened to hear that you have to team up with others in order to go through the tournament. It’s not like you hate the prospect of teamwork, rather you were never really a people person and always bonded better with Pokémon than humans. 

The professor gave suggestions about what kinds of trainers you might want to team up with based on your own partner’s stats. She gave you a breakdown about the strike types, tech types and assist types and she classified you as a striker. Odd you always felt like an assist but maybe it was according to a different system. 

You eventually meet with a Picnicer and a Lass who were looking for a partner. You go through a few sync battles with them but you all realize that your synergy isn’t that good. You all split on good terms, wishing the others luck in the tournament. 

You team up with a few more other sync teams but those also didn’t end well with you. Most of them were starting out and had never even done double battles before. Others were cocky and thought just having a strong Pokémon would win them the entire battle. They learned that that wasn't the case after both team mates were picked off and they had no one to back them up. 

You’re taking a break with Pikachu when a trainer comes over and gushes over your Pikachu. He looks a little younger than you but you can feel that he has experience under his wing, if the pokemon that followed him didn’t already give you a hint. You introduce yourself and your partner and he gives you his name.

“Sawyer! And my partner is Sceptile!”

You feel a little shallow seeing the strong Pokémon but you immediately ask if he had a team and if you would be allowed to join. Maybe you were tired of all the failed team building but something told you that you could trust this trainer.

Sawyer looked hesitant before giving you an answer. 

“I’d have to ask with the other trainer on the team. He’s very particular about who he teams up with. I barely got through to him even though he was by himself.”

You thought since it was just them two and everyone needed teams of 3 that they’d be a little more desperate to find a third party and shouldn’t be picky. You didn’t voice that though and just asked if you could talk to the other trainer. Sawyer didn’t see the harm in asking so he lead you to the other member of his team. 

You feel static in the air and you pat down your hair as it stands on ends. An Electivire is on stand by as someone you assume to be the Pokémon’s trainer is sitting nearby going through his Poryphone. The trainer actually notices your Pikachu first and for a split second you see him tense up. But then he looks over and sees you then he immediately relaxes. Well, relax wouldn’t be the proper word as he still looked pretty cautious. 

“Who’s this?”

“Ah, um, they didn’t have a partner and asked if they could join our team. I thought you should get input first so I brought them.”

The Electivire trainer glanced back at your Pikachu.

“We don’t need two Electric types on a team. It’s better to have a more balanced team for these battles.”

Sawyer glanced apologetically at you but you still wanted to try. You tell him that you’re a strike type and what your assist moves and Pikachu’s abilities were. He didn’t seem convinced but Sawyer seemed to be on your side and asked maybe you two could have a trial battle before officially deciding. 

The trainer looked even more annoyed if possible. You’ve only met him but you somehow can’t imagine his eyebrows ever relaxing. He concedes though and promises only one chance. You sigh and tell him he won’t regret it. You do hear him mutter under his breath. You don’t know why you want to try so hard to win this team’s favor. Maybe you were tired of looking for teammates or your gut was telling you these guys were that good but if it worked out, you can finally start collecting the badges to get through the league.

It’s a one on one but you start off with the stat boosting assists so Pikachu can deal more damage. The trainer’s Electivire also was working on raising stats before attacking. You’re ready first and you command Pikachu to do a Thunderbolt. Electivire takes the attack and you realize you’re definitely leagues away from this guy because it didn’t even flinch. Even spamming multiple attacks did nothing. 

“Electivire, Thunder Punch.”

Pikachu braced himself for the attack but it never landed, as a steel net covered him and pulled him away from the battlefield. The perpetrators snicker and slink off, carrying Pikachu. 

You’re dazed for a moment before you realized what had just happened. You scream for your partner and rush after him. You can hear Sawyer following after you but you’re too concentrated on catching the Pikachu-nappers. 

Running after them, you identify the group as a Lass, a Punk and an Ace Trainer. You didn’t think that despicable trainers like these people would be allowed on this island but perhaps they had snuck their way in. 

The trio stop and you think you have them cornered but they turn around and actually laugh. You see that the three have masks on their faces, hiding their identities. 

“Sorry kid, but we need your Pikachu.”

“Yeah, our bosses say it’s super powerful.”

“I can’t believe we did it. They’ll definitely let us join now!”

You know it’s futile but you scream for them to give your partner back. They laugh of course and throw out their pokeballs. You take a step back and realize that you have no Pokémon to battle with, thus being totally useless right now. 

“Sceptile, Leaf Blade!”

Sawyer joins up with you, much to your relief. He asks if you are alright and you nod. 

Sceptile lands a hit on the Zubat but the Poocheyna and Spinarak immediately pounce on him. Even though you have no Pokémon, you assist Sawyer with a potion. 

He’s doing alright but three against one was difficult and you soon run out of potions. You think it’s the end but then a protective shield blocks one of Poochyena’s attacks. You turn to see Electivire and trainer. 

“Paul!” Sawyer calls to him. 

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only helping because these people need to be taught a lesson.”

You smile and thank him regardless. (Also noting that you finally got his name.) With Electivire on the field, it evened the odds a bit. Actually, the thieves’ team all go down quickly after a few hits from Electivire.

“Gr… don’t think you’ve won!”

“Return that Pikachu, it does not belong to you!”  
Sawyer steps up after they recall their Pokémon.

“Hey, what’s taking you guys so long?” A new voice speaks. 

“Did you guys actually do it?” Another voice pipes in.

“Boss!!” One of the masked individuals call out.

All of you turn your attention to the new group that appeared. They’re a pair dressed in white and black with “R” on their chest with a Meowth and Wobbuffet. 

“Team Rocket!” Sawyer yelled. 

The supposed team flinch when they realize they are recognized. The female with long magenta hair squints to identify your group. 

“I recognize the green and purple squirt but who’s the last one?”

“They’re the Pikachu’s Trainer, Boss!” The masked Punk announces. 

“What? That’s not the twerp! You got the wrong Pikachu!” 

“Sheesh we have to do everything by ourselves huh?” The Meowth says, shaking his head. 

Your jaw drops and you voice your shock at the talking Meowth but apparently nobody else is surprised. 

“Well, I guess we should have said more than a brat in a cap with a Pikachu when we gave them those orders...” The male of the group guesses. 

“Does that mean we won’t be able to join Team Rocket?” The Lass asks hesitantly. “We did as you asked us to…”

The long haired lady grumbled in frustration. “No, it’s not the right one! We need that specific Pikachu!”

“What do we do now Boss?” The Ace Trainer holding your Pikachu asked, shrugging the net over his shoulder.

“I guess we can take this Pikachu. It’s not like we can give it back…” 

“No, you will give it back!” Another new voice calls. 

You mutter to yourself about how cliched this is and wonder who else is going to appear. 

“Who’s there?!” 

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

A Pikachu, that is clearly not yours, appears and electrocutes the entire R group. The masked trio are scrambling around in panic. While they weren’t looking, you notice a Sawk sneak up behind the guy holding your Pikachu. The thief yelps as he is manhandled and tossed aside by the karate pokemon, dropping your netted Pikachu in the process. 

“Typhlosion, Flame Thrower!”

The rest of the masked group are charred by a stream of flame. 

“Retreat! Retreaaaaaat!!” 

The two groups of villains pick themselves and their comrades and scurry away, yelling that they will be back though it didn’t sound nearly as threatening as they intended. 

You rush over to where your Pikachu had fallen. The trainer of the other Pikachu is already removing the net. You thank him profusely as Pikachu jumps into your arms. 

“It’s nothing! I guess I’m partially to blame since Team Rocket were originally after my buddy  
here. I’m just glad we were able to stop them in time.”

“Ash!”

Sawyer is the one to call out. As he approaches you and the Pikachu trainer, two more trainers emerge on the scene. A girl with pigtails stands near the Typhlosion and a bulky young man next to the Sawk.

“Sawyer! Wow imagine meeting you here!”

“It really is you!” Sawyer extends a hand and the Pikachu trainer (Ash, you assume) takes it. “It’s been so long!”

Sawyer notices you glancing between him and Ash. Ash finally introduces himself and his partner Pikachu. You take his hand and give him your name as well. Sawyer tells you that they had met back in Kalos. 

“You were so cool back there Ash!”

Typhlosion’s trainer gushes and latches herself onto Ash’s arm. Ash scratches his head and shrugs modestly. 

“If we are done here, I’d like to get a move on.”

The group all turn to where Paul is waiting impatiently. 

“Ah, of course, I was just surprised to see an old friend…” Sawyer starts.

“Paul…” Ash whispers. 

Sawyer is the one surprised this time, not realizing his old friend knew his current teammate. You’re looking between Ash and Paul and you notice the rest are also curious. The atmosphere shifted.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here.” Paul shrugs.

“Mm, I guess not.” Ash responds almost proudly.

“Hey guys, I’m happy for you all but let’s take this reunion somewhere else?” Sawk’s trainer finally speaks. 

You agree, as the thieves had led you guys to a rocky hill and honestly you’re tired and need to recuperate. The rest of the group move out, Ash and Sawyer leading. You fall in the near back next to Paul. 

The group settles at the Pokémon Center where you’re finally introduced to the rest of the group. You meet Stephan (Steven? Stephen?) and his partner Sawk from Unova and Macy with Typhlosion who Ash had met during the Johto League. Sawyer introduces himself to the other two. 

You give your name and your home region along with your partner’s name. The other Pikachu shakes tails with yours and you can’t stop the smile on your face. 

Ash scratches his head. 

“I think everyone knows me already? But I’m Ash from Kanto and this is my partner Pikachu!”

Everyone turned to Paul, who looked disinterested and would rather be anywhere else. He notices your stares and clicks his tongue. 

“Paul from Sinnoh.”

“Wow, you must be a hoot at parties.” Macy quipped.

Sawyer looked apologetic but he says nothing. Electivire waves and Pikachu waves back. Ash actually laughs. 

“You haven’t changed a bit.” He says with a smile.

Paul glances at him before turning away. 

The group chatter amongst themselves and you shrink a little. Even though Paul seemed the most distant from the group, everyone was connected to each other via Ash except for you. You feel a little left out and you start wondering if maybe you shouldn’t have chosen to ally yourself with this group in the first place. 

“We never finished our battle.”

Paul startles you out of your thoughts and you recall that indeed your battle had been interrupted. He’s not looking at you though as he speaks. His gaze is towards the group, more specifically Ash. You’re not an expert in reading people but you could almost say Paul looked fondly at him. (You revise your earlier hypothesis about his eyebrows never relaxing.)

“Honestly I could just tell you’re not very strong.”

You want to argue and defend your partner but to be fair, Paul is kind of right. You look over to where your Pikachu is currently playing with Ash’s Pikachu on Sawyer’s lap. You liked battling but honestly you weren’t aiming to be the strongest, just strong enough. You hadn’t evolved Pikachu for shallow reasons and you wonder if maybe you were holding your partner back. 

“You have some merit though, if you still want to join our team, I’ll allow it. For now anyway. If I find someone stronger I won’t hesitate to replace you.”

You feel a smile on your face and relief on your shoulders. Of course it wasn’t a guarantee that you’d stay with them permanently but that’s one hurdle you got through. 

You listen in with the rest of the group swapping stories about their adventure so far in Pasio. Clearly Ash is the most extroverted one in the group as the rest all have their attention to him. You wonder briefly what being on Ash’s team would be like, his Pikachu looked strong and Ash’s personality was very welcoming. 

“Aw shucks, if I had known you were here Ash, I would have asked to join your group!” Sawyer sighs. 

He sits up immediately when he feels a glare directed at him. You’re not even the target but Paul’s scowl was chilling enough that you started feeling nervous. 

“Haha, well, it’s more fun to battle against you anyway, so I’m glad we are on different teams!” Sawyer quickly revises. He shrinks in his seat until Paul finally looks away.

“Well, even if we are on different teams, why don’t we all look for the PML Leaders together? That way we could all get to the tournament faster?” Ash suggested merrily.

“Ash, I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works? And technically they’re our rivals, should we be helping each other get to the goal?” Stephan tried to reason with him. 

“Isn’t that what rivals are? In a way they do help you get to the goal. And most of you have been my rivals in the past too but here we are!”

You’re all unsure and even though you know that Sawyer and Macy looked ready to agree with Ash, Stephan still looked hesitant. You turn to Paul to see how he would react. You almost fall out of your seat when you see he’s not even listening to the conversation. He had a book open and he’s flipping through his Poryphone.

“Paul what do you think? Wanna travel together?” Ash asks, seemingly oblivious to Paul’s indifference. 

The rest of the group hold your breaths. You already know that Paul is the one in charge of your group so if anyone had a say in what was to happen it definitely had to be decided by him. 

You jolt when Paul snaps his book shut. 

“According to the rules, the battles use a three on three format. However, it doesn’t say that the teams are static.”

You finally take a look at the book in his hand. It was the rulebook to the Pokémon Masters League. Sawyer sits up, eagerness in his eyes.

“That is to say, it’s actually beneficial to have more members in a group. Rotating members and types is actually part of the strategy of winning this league.” 

Ash’s grin widens. 

Stephan scratches his head. He muttered that he actually hadn’t taken a look at the guidebook. You sympathize because you hadn’t either but you didn’t voice it in fear of looking like a fool. Ash however sounded confused because he didn’t even remember getting a book. His Pikachu facepalmed and you couldn’t help but laugh. You’re starting to understand why everyone is drawn to Ash.

“Great! That means we’re all together! Wow this is exciting!” 

You watch Paul put the rulebook away. He looks disinterested but you don’t feel the unwelcoming aura he had initially given off anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone's movesets
> 
> Sawyer & Sceptile (Strike Type)  
> -Leaf Blade  
> -Dire Hit  
> -Dragon Claw  
> -Study Hard! (Sharply Raises Atk and Speed)
> 
> Paul & Electivire (Tech Type)  
> -Thunder Punch (chance of paralysis)  
> -X Atk  
> -Protect (2/2)  
> -Battle Standby! (Refreshes move gauge, if hit with an electric move, increases speed )
> 
> Ash & Pikachu (Strike Type)  
> -Thunderbolt  
> -MooMoo Milk  
> -Iron Tail  
> -Our Full Power! (Sharply raises Atk and Sp Atk)
> 
> Macy & Typhlosion (Support Type)  
> -Flamethrower  
> -X Spd All  
> -Swift  
> -Burning Love! (Restores HP to target, removes any status ailment)
> 
> Stephan & Sawk (Strike Type)  
> -Low Sweep  
> -Full Heal  
> -Close Combat  
> -Muscle Up! (The higher the gauge, the higher Atk stat increase)


End file.
